Posted: July 1st, 2024

Family Fitness Night

Family Fitness Night: Promoting Motor Skill Development in Young Children

This handout provides detailed descriptions of three activity stations designed for infants and toddlers to promote fine and gross motor skill development through fitness, movement, and play. Each station includes directions, learning objectives, targeted motor skills, developmental benefits, and differentiation strategies for children with special needs or limitations.

Station 1: Sensory Obstacle Course

Directions:
Set up a small obstacle course using various textured materials such as foam mats, carpet squares, and vinyl sheets. Include low-height barriers, tunnels, and balance beams. Guide children through the course, encouraging them to crawl, walk, or climb over obstacles.

Learning Objectives:
– Enhance gross motor skills and body awareness
– Develop spatial awareness and problem-solving abilities
– Improve balance and coordination

Targeted Motor Skills:
– Crawling, walking, climbing
– Balance and coordination
– Spatial awareness

Developmental Benefits:
This activity promotes physical development by challenging children to navigate various surfaces and obstacles. It enhances proprioception (body awareness) and vestibular sense (balance), which are crucial for overall motor development. The diverse textures stimulate sensory exploration, contributing to cognitive development.

Differentiation:
For children with physical limitations, provide alternative paths or assistance devices such as support bars. For those with sensory sensitivities, offer quieter areas or less textured surfaces. Visual cues or tactile markers can assist children with visual impairments in navigating the course.

Station 2: Fine Motor Fishing

Directions:
Create a “fishing pond” using a shallow container filled with water. Float various small objects (e.g., rubber ducks, foam shapes) in the water. Provide children with small nets or tongs to “fish” out the objects and sort them into containers.

Learning Objectives:
– Enhance fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
– Develop grasping and releasing abilities
– Improve cognitive skills through sorting and categorizing

Targeted Motor Skills:
– Pincer grasp
– Hand-eye coordination
– Wrist rotation and finger dexterity

Developmental Benefits:
This activity refines fine motor skills essential for daily tasks and future academic skills like writing. It promotes hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness. The sorting component enhances cognitive development by encouraging categorization and pattern recognition.

Differentiation:
For children with limited hand mobility, use larger objects and tools with adapted handles. Provide stabilized containers for those with motor control challenges. Use high-contrast colors or textured objects for children with visual impairments. Offer verbal cues or hand-over-hand assistance as needed.

Station 3: Musical Movement Exploration

Directions:
Create an open space with various musical instruments (e.g., small drums, shakers, bells) and play different types of music. Encourage children to move freely, dance, and explore the instruments. Incorporate guided movements like reaching high, squatting low, or spinning.

Learning Objectives:
– Develop gross motor skills through rhythmic movement
– Enhance auditory processing and musical awareness
– Promote self-expression and creativity

Targeted Motor Skills:
– Whole body movements (jumping, spinning, swaying)
– Arm and leg coordination
– Rhythmic timing and control

Developmental Benefits:
This activity fosters gross motor development through varied movements. It enhances auditory processing skills and promotes neural connections between movement and sound. The creative aspect supports emotional development and self-expression.

Differentiation:
For children with mobility limitations, focus on upper body movements or seated dance activities. Use visual cues or sign language to complement auditory instructions for those with hearing impairments. Provide noise-cancelling headphones or a quieter area for children sensitive to loud sounds.

The importance of movement and play in early childhood development cannot be overstated. Regular physical activity contributes to healthy brain development, improves cognitive function, and enhances social-emotional skills (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Engaging in varied movement experiences supports the development of fundamental motor skills, which form the foundation for more complex physical activities later in life (Whitehead & Spiroiu, 2023).

Family involvement in these activities creates a supportive environment for children’s development and strengthens the connection between home and school. Research indicates that parental engagement in physical activities with their children leads to increased overall physical activity levels and improved health outcomes (ParticipACTION, 2022).

By providing diverse, adaptable activities, this Family Fitness Night ensures that all children, regardless of their abilities or limitations, can participate and benefit from movement-based learning experiences. This inclusive approach fosters a sense of community and promotes lifelong habits of physical activity and wellness.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, October 28). Physical activity for children. https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/children.html

ParticipACTION. (2022). Lost & Found: Pandemic-related challenges and opportunities for physical activity. The 2022 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Toronto: ParticipACTION.

Whitehead, M., & Spiroiu, A. M. (2023). Promoting physical activity and healthy development in young children: A review of evidence-based interventions. Children and Youth Services Review, 132, 106622.

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Rubric
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Assessment Traits
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Assessment Description
Physical activity is a large part of brain development and learning. Involving the family is just as important. Their involvement creates a bridge between school and home and fosters the establishment of a community.

Create an activity night for families focusing on fitness, movement, and play that targets the development of fine and gross motor skills of young children. As you develop your activities, consider how you will differentiate for those with special needs, physical limitations, or developmental delays.

In the handout for the activity night, write detailed descriptions of three activities/stations for infants and toddlers to be shared with families and volunteers who will facilitate the activities.

Include in the handout:

Directions facilitating the activities
Learning objectives or outcomes for the activities
The fine and gross motor skills that each activity targets
The value of movement and play that each activity has on the development of young children
How each activity will be differentiated for children with special needs, physical limitations, or developmental delays
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

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Study Notes & Homework Samples: Create a digital handout for each of the ages listed (birth to 12 months »School Board Meeting Reflection